THE opening of Northern Ireland's first private abortion clinic in Belfast drew hundreds of noisy demonstrators, who hoisted placards with messages such as ''Keep Ireland abortion-free''.

The clinic, operated by Marie Stopes International, will offer sexual health and family planning advice, treatment with non-surgical abortion and follow-up counselling.

Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland have some of Europe's toughest anti-abortion laws. In Northern Ireland, the procedure can be performed only in the first nine weeks of pregnancy and if a woman's health is at serious risk. South of the border, abortions are illegal unless a woman's life is at risk.

A protester outside the Belfast clinic. Photo: AP

''This is definitely a step in the wrong direction,'' said Hugh O'Connor, a 45-year-old construction worker from Dungiven, about 80 kilometres from Belfast. ''If it wasn't here a few more lives might be saved. I'm sad and I'm angry about it.''

Advertisement

Tracey McNeill, vice-president of Marie Stopes, said in a television broadcast: ''We understand the culture here in Northern Ireland; we don't want to change the culture … and have abortion on demand. What this is about is offering choice.''

Religious, secular and political figures were among the protesters from Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom, and the Republic of Ireland to the south.

According to reports, members of the Catholic and Protestant churches of Northern Ireland sang hymns and prayed aloud alongside lobbying groups led by the Precious Life movement.

Written protests have come from legal and parliamentary ranks: John Larkin, Northern Ireland's Attorney-General, has asked Northern Ireland's Justice Committee to investigate the legal grounds on which the clinic is operating; and Health Minister Edwin Poots told the legislature that he had asked the medical officer, the Justice Ministry and the police to look at the legality of the clinic's activities, according to the Belfast Telegraph.

Clinic officials, who said they would strictly follow the law, described the facility as answering a longtime call for family planning for the women of Northern Ireland.

''For the first time, the people of Northern Ireland can visit a single health centre for information, advice and help with contraception, HIV and sexually transmitted infections and - when the legal requirements are met - early medical abortion,'' a statement on the organisation's website says.

''Anyone coming to us can be assured that we fully respect their privacy and our dedicated healthcare team will provide them with confidential, sensitive and non-judgmental care.''

About 1000 Northern Irish women a year reportedly travel to England for abortions rather than face the gruelling and often unsuccessful battle to undergo the procedure legally in Northern Ireland.

''For women in Northern Ireland, abortion is a fact of life and they are going to do whatever they can to get them if they want them,'' Mara Clarke,

leader of the Abortion Support Network, told Sky News.

Women who come to her group for help are often ''horrifically desperate,'' she said. ''A girl two weeks ago was going to ask her rapist for help with the money to pay for the procedure and the travel.''

Bernadette Smyth, founder of Precious Life, countered that women in Northern Ireland were not dying because they could not have abortions.

''We don't want the lives of unborn children to be taken because of a crisis. Let's provide better healthcare, let's provide better resources for those women in crisis pregnancies,'' she said.

Before the clinic's opening, news reports said Northern Ireland police had asked that photographers refrain from taking pictures of those entering the facility, in keeping with the right to privacy under European human rights law.